"Are you willing to walk with me?"
Li Fan's voice boomed like rolling thunder, penetrating the white mist and even temporarily suppressing the wails rising from the Chizha Abyss, echoing endlessly through the Eternal Immortal Bastion.
Feeling the countless gazes of the Qingxuan Army converging upon him, Young Lord Shang's fluctuating figure settled.
He revealed his true appearance.
Clad in a green robe with sleeves fluttering in the wind, he stood tall and slender. A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes as Young Lord Shang stared at Li Fan. "Fellow Daoist, I am afraid you are somewhat overconfident. Sharp as your sword may be, it might not be able to withstand that terrifying demonic sound tide. And yet you harbor delusions of suppressing the abyss forever..."
"How can you know without trying? If you ask me, Young Lord, you have guarded the outskirts of the abyss for so many years that your courage has been worn away!" Sacred Embryo Li Fan retorted without yielding an inch.
"Hmph, nothing but a glib tongue."
In an instant, thousands of shadows seemed to emerge around Young Lord Shang. He seemed to have melted into this shadowy deluge, watching Li Fan from the dark, ready to unleash a fatal strike at any moment.
Sacred Embryo Li Fan, meanwhile, felt as if he were surrounded by an army of thousands, even experiencing the illusion of facing the Chizha Abyss all on his own.
*Rumors in the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals say that the abyssal demonic sound benefits Young Lord Shang's cultivation, which is why he has willingly guarded this place for a century without leaving. Now it seems those rumors were indeed true.*
Back when he was still in the Foundation Establishment stage, Li Fan had experienced the terror of the abyssal demonic sound up close.
Right now, Young Lord Shang was like a walking abyss himself, liable to unleash a demonic sound tide at any moment!
Above Sacred Embryo Li Fan's head, an unadorned black sword abruptly materialized.
The tip of the blade pointed directly at Young Lord Shang.
Though he carried the weight of millions of demonic sounds within him, the instant the sword locked onto him, a sliver of danger crept into Young Lord Shang's heart.
Behind that black sword, he seemed to see countless swords raining from the sky, all pointing straight at him!
*Where did such an expert pop up from...?*
Young Lord Shang grew solemn.
The two stood facing each other in the void, a great battle on the verge of erupting at any second.
At this critical juncture, a peculiar fluctuation came from not far away.
At first, it was a few sharp, tearing sounds, like an autumn wind rustling through dry leaves.
Then, like the stampede of galloping hooves, it suddenly burst forth like a raging storm.
It was as if all ten thousand ghosts in Avici Hell were weeping together, or like the desperate wails echoing through the world on the brink of the apocalypse.
The white mist churned violently, rolling without pause.
And Broken Palm Immortal City shuddered incessantly like a tiny skiff on a stormy sea, hanging in grave peril!
"The demonic sound tide!"
Perhaps because Li Fan's sword light had previously suppressed it, the forces of the Chizha Abyss were provoked into violent backlash.
The intensity and scale of this demonic sound tide far exceeded anything ordinary.
Taking the brunt of the tide's assault, the Eternal Immortal Bastion trembled like a leaf on a branch, threatening to be blown away at any second!
Young Lord Shang's expression shifted drastically. No longer caring about Li Fan, he flashed back into Broken Palm Immortal City.
With Young Lord Shang taking charge, swirling rings of green light enveloped the bastion, allowing the Eternal Immortal Bastion to slowly stabilize amidst the demonic sound tide.
Just as the soldiers of the Qingxuan Army were still reeling from the shock, they were horrified to discover that Li Fan—whom they had assumed would be obliterated by the demonic sound tide—was still standing quietly in the void.
Even as demonic sounds surged like a tempest and white mist churned wildly around him,
he remained completely unmoving.
What Li Fan did next was something none of them could have anticipated.
Taking leisurely strides, as if strolling through a garden, he walked right outside Broken Palm Immortal City.
Facing the endless Chizha Abyss, Li Fan sat down cross-legged.
A black sword appeared beneath him just in time.
Li Fan bent his right index finger and lightly flicked the sword's blade.
*Clang!*
The crisp sound rang out, remarkably clear and distinct even amidst the raging demonic frenzy!
The hum of the sword echoed, and at the same time, countless distinct sword shadows suddenly emerged behind Li Fan.
The sword shadows stretched unbroken like a great wall, standing between Broken Palm Immortal City and the abyss.
A forest of myriad swords, all pointing straight into the abyss!
"The demonic sound pierces the mind, yet he isn't affected in the slightest! How on earth is he doing that?"
"Sitting in front of the city—what is he trying to do?"
This astounding sight left the million-strong Qingxuan Army utterly dazed.
Even Young Lord Shang shot up in alarm, staring from afar at the silhouette of Li Fan's back outside the city.
If the demonic sound tide was an endless, turbulent, and savage wave,
then Li Fan at this moment was a towering monolith standing by the shore—
resolute and unshakable, steadfast against all directions.
No matter how wildly the demonic sounds raged, they could not harm him in the least.
And Li Fan's performance had only just begun.
"Go!"
Facing the deluge, Li Fan uttered a soft cry.
From the great wall forged by thousands of sword shadows behind him, a single sword shot forth in an instant.
Just like the earth-shattering sword light Li Fan had previously unleashed, it whistled straight toward the demonic sound tide.
Before the surging demonic tide, the sword light gradually dimmed.
Yet the Qingxuan soldiers within Broken Palm Immortal City could distinctly feel that the power of the demonic sound tide had weakened by a fraction because of that beam of sword light!
"Could it be...?"
A thought could not help but surface in their minds.
Everyone in the immortal city began to tremble slightly.
Then, a spectacle they would never forget unfolded before their eyes.
Millions upon millions of flying swords charged forward, one wave after another, fearlessly launching an assault into the Chizha Abyss.
Countless sword lights flashed in succession, completely illuminating the Eternal Immortal Bastion.
With every strike, the demonic sound tide weakened by another measure.
The terrifying wails assailing everyone's ears slowly turned feeble and lifeless.
The vast immortal city fell utterly silent.
Everyone quietly watched Li Fan's back.
Not a single other thought could fit into their minds.
Like heavy rain finally ceasing, the sky cleared after the storm.
Outside the immortal city, not a single demonic sound rang out any longer.
Yet the sword lights behind Li Fan remained just as numerous as before.
Boundless and inexhaustible, enduring forever.
"That lord..."
"Perhaps what he said earlier about suppressing the abyss forever isn't impossible after all."
The same thought surfaced simultaneously in the minds of the Qingxuan soldiers.
With his back turned toward Broken Palm Immortal City, Li Fan did not stand up.
The Qingxuan soldiers also seemed frozen in place, not daring to make the slightest move.
*Blocking the demonic sound tide with the sword has deepened the Xuanhuang Sword Dao's recognition of me by a great deal.*
Sacred Embryo Li Fan was actually contemplating the changes occurring within himself.
*Sure enough, the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao instinctively repels these "foreign entities." If one complies with the mandate of Heaven, one will naturally receive the corresponding favor of the Heavenly Dao.*
With that thought, Li Fan slowly stood up, turned around, and looked at the countless cultivators inside the Eternal Immortal Bastion.
Smiling, he asked, "Does the Young Lord still consider me overconfident?"
The immortal city remained deathly silent.
A moment later, Young Lord Shang's figure reappeared before Li Fan.
Bowing slightly, he sighed in admiration. "I was mistaken."
"Your talent, Fellow Daoist, is truly rare in this world."
Just as he was about to say more, Li Fan waved a hand to cut him off.
"So, is the Young Lord willing to walk with me?"
Li Fan asked once more.
Seeing this, Young Lord Shang gritted his teeth and replied helplessly, "Since matters have come to this, I shall risk my life to accompany a gentleman!"
Following the Young Lord's words, earth-shaking cheers erupted from Broken Palm Immortal City.
Chapter 1148